Rock n Roll Graffiti is a weekly column spotlighting engaging music personalities. The column stresses not only rock 'n' roll, but blues, jazz, country and folk. Stories feature a nostalgic look at Michigan's stars, local musicians and beloved rock legends, all from a personal, Upper Peninsula perspective. Music memories are recalled with an entertaining presentation of facts, a dash of opinion, and a bit of humor, all meant to bring a smile or nod of acknowledgment from the reader.

A Texas record label saw enough potential in a song written by an inmate at Marquette Branch Prison that they sent a recording engineer to the Upper Peninsula to tape the song in the early 1960s.

Alexander "Al" Gliva, also known as prisoner # 62055, composed "The Lifer" and sought to generate interest in the tune by sending a demo tape to Dewey Groom, owner and president of Longhorn Records in Dallas. Gliva was serving a life sentence for second degree murder.

Groom listened to the recording, noted numerous biblical references, but failed to see any commercial value.

Yet, songwriter Clay Allen, who also signed to Longhorn, urged the record executive to pursue the project. Consequently, with Allen's advice, Gliva rewrote the song to Groom's liking.

After several attempts by Gliva to record a quality tape of "The Lifer" in prison, Groom decided to send technician George McCoy to Marquette. Certainly, Warden Raymond J. Buckhoe, a native of Bessemer in the western U. P., wasn't about to send an inmate to a Dallas recording studio.

Also known as the State House of Corrections, Marquette Branch Prison opened in 1889. The facility has housed many notorious criminals over the years and was added to the National Register of Historic Places for its Romanesque architecture.

Having Warden Buckhoe's permission and cooperation, Longhorn Records flew McCoy into Marquette to record Gliva's song on Sept. 10, 1962. A steel guitar player, McCoy set-up Longhorn's equipment and taped a satisfactory take of "The Lifer" the following day.

While Gliva recites his lyrics, Roger Chase sings the chorus, and Clyde Stanley plays a guitar he reportedly made in prison. Other convicts in the "Marquette Prison Band" were Carl Gilkerson, Howard Moore, Jess White and #62054, an unnamed inmate with a number just one digit removed from Gliva's.

The song opens and closes with the clanging of heavy iron cell doors.

In the song's lyrics, Gliva makes reference to Caryl Whittier Chessman, a California robber and rapist who was executed on May 2, 1960. During his lengthy stay on Death Row, Chessman came to the center of the debate over capital punishment.

"I'm a lifer in prison and here I'll remain," are the song's final words.

Gliva may have had more than one motivation to record "The Lifer." He was eligible to make profits from his song and certainly the parole board was bound to look favorably on the life changes Gliva had made since first being incarcerated.

He also composed a second tune, "How Many." That song and "The Lifer" were both published by Saran Music Co., of Cedar Creek, Texas. Saran was associated with Groom's Longhorn Records.

Label owner Groom issued his own recording of "Heartaches For Sale" backed with "Sometimes If I'm Lonely," as Longhorn 525, before assigning Gliva's single the catalog number 526.

"It is our sincere hope that by our efforts, this record of 'The Lifer' might keep some boy from turning to crime," said Longhorn's liner notes, contained on the picture sleeve which accompanied the 45 rpm single. The sleeve carried a photo of the inmate musicians on one side and "The Lifer" in red block letters on the reverse.

In addition to Clay Allen and George McCoy, Longhorn Records also issued material by Janet McBride, who enjoyed fame as a country & western singer during the period from 1960 to 1965.

Besides his record label and music publishing, Groom also owned Longhorn Ballroom, a legendary nightspot in Dallas, which he bought from Jack Ruby.

It isn't known how many copies of "The Lifer" were sold by Longhorn Records, but the single is hard to find.

Michael Nowlin of Marquette, who recently auctioned a copy of the single on eBay, said the record was sold at the prison gift shop and that many copies were destroyed when the store was closed.

Gliva wasn't the only Marquette inmate to have a measure of success in the music business.

During the tenure of Warden James P. Corgan, prisoner Wallace Wysocki composed the words and music to "There Must Be a Bright Tomorrow (For Each Yesterday of Tears)."

Known at the Marquette lock-up as inmate # 3223, Wysocki was serving 10-15 years for armed robbery when musical inspiration struck.

Wysocki's song was published as sheet music by Olman Music Corp.of New York City in 1931. The cover art, by Frederick S. Manning, is a stark depiction of the closed door to a prison cell.

I showed the sheet music to Mike Bastian of Escanaba, who told me the song was arranged for piano, ukulele or guitar. To give me an idea what the song sounded like, he sang some of the lyrics: "'Mid prison walls so dreary I dream, but always in vain. At times I grow so weary my heart cries out in pain."

"It's a fantastic song," Bastian said.

One version of "There Must Be a Bright Tomorrow" was recorded by the duo Mac & Bob, also known as Lester McFarland and Robert Gardner. Other acts also recorded Wysocki's lamentful tune, with arrangements copyrighted by Bob Haring, Paul Hill and Gerald K. Joseph.

Today, Marquette Branch Prison remains a fortress on the south shore of Lake Superior, holding more than 1,000 prisoners.

Inmates Alexander Gliva and Wallace Wysocki served their time securely behind bars, but their musical ambitions managed to escape the confines of prison.

Clyde Stanley was employed by my grandfather for a short time in St. Louis in the early '60s. He gave my grandfather a guitar and tenor banjo he built in prison. That guitar was stolen from my house a year and a half ago. Please see my blog for details, as well as more information about Clyde Stanley: http://storyofthestanley.wordpress.com/

Wallace Wysocki's "There Must Be A Bright Tomorrow" found its way onto a 1931 Wurlitzer style 125 band organ roll, unfortunately now lost. The roll was #3190, and can be seen here: http://wurlitzer-rolls.com/125catalog/125index.html

U. P. Jukebox

About the music on this blog

Michigan's rock history concentrates on the southeastern part of the state, deservedly so. Although the Detroit area produced some great music in the 1960s, the Upper Peninsula's contribution to the rock 'n' roll revolution of the era shouldn't be discounted. Sure the U. P. is isolated and sparsely peopled, with only three percent of the state's population. But, the fact that no band based north of the Mackinac Bridge registered a Top 40 hit in the 1960s was due to a conspiracy of geography, not a lack of quality material. Groups from across the region issued strong 45 rpm singles in their attempts to gain greater recognition and national fame as the rock 'n' roll spirit pervaded the U. P.

There were the Excels and French Church from Marquette, Riot Squad and Prophets of Doom from Escanaba, Rob Kirk and the Word and Renaissance Fair from Sault Ste. Marie, the Henchmen VI and Vigilantes from tiny Ontonagon, Joey Gee and the Come-ons and the Ravelles from Iron Mountain. Menominee had the Benders, Alston had the Rhythm Rockers, Kingsford boasted the Lexington Project, Ironwood contributed Danny and the Galaxies and Houghton touted the Kinetics.

Today, most of these songs are quite hard to come by, but they unashamedly reflect the dreams and aspirations of the the U. P.'s younger generation all those years ago.

So, give a listen and decide for yourself which tunes could have been hits, if only...

Rock 'n' Roll Graffiti now a book!

The 300-page volume, which includes dozens of photographs, spotlights engaging music personalities, stressing not only rock, but blues, jazz, country and folk.

Seymour said the soft-cover book surveys the music scene with an "entertaining presentation of facts, a dash of opinion, and a bit of humor, all meant to bring a smile or nod of acknowledgement from the reader."

The writer assembled the book from weekly music columns he wrote which originally appeared in the "That's Entertainment" section of the Daily Press, published every Thursday, beginning in the summer of 2005.

The book takes a nostalgic look at Michigan's stars, local musicians and beloved international rock legends, all from a personal, Upper Peninsula perspective, Seymour noted.

Divided into seven parts, "Rock 'n' Roll Graffiti" contains many music-related stories about the local rock scene of the 60s and the U. P.'s contribution to music over the years. Not stopping there, the author also included thoughts on the many concerts he's seen as well as sections about the blues and the Beatles.

"People have been asking me to put these stories into a book for well over a year now. Virtually every week I've gotten so many great comments and emails. I finally took them seriously," he said.

The book was printed by Instantpublisher.com, the short-run publishing division of Funcraft Publishing Co., located in Collierville, Tenn.

"I hope folks have as much fun reading these stories as I've had writing them," he added. Seymour and his wife Sue own the Record Rack in downtown Escanaba.

Seymour commented: "I've enjoyed rock music and writing since I was a teenager in the 60s. I feel lucky to have been around when rock's greatest stars created their most enduring hits."

A graduate of Central Michigan University, Seymour worked for the Daily Press and Upper Peninsula Commission for Area Progress before going into the retail record business in 1985.

"Rock 'n' roll has always been integral to me and for the last 22 years I've been earning my living from it even though I don't have a musical bone in my body," Seymour noted.

Copies of "Rock 'n' Roll Graffiti" are available for $11.98 at the Record Rack, 1212 Ludington St., Escanaba, Michigan 49829 or through paypal ($11.98 plus $4.00 postage).

About me

I've enjoyed rock music and writing since I was a teenager in the 60s. I feel lucky to have been around when rock's greatest stars created their most enduring hits. At the same time I found I enjoyed writing, as well. I worked on my high school newspaper and magazine, was editor of several college publications and earned a bachelor's degree from Central Michigan University in 1973. I worked for the daily newspaper in my hometown after graduating, becoming managing editor after a few years. By the 1980s, I moved into public relations. In 1985, my wife Sue and I opened a retail music store, The Record Rack, which we still own. Rock 'n' roll has been integral to me and for the last 2O years I've been earning my living from it even though I don't have a musical bone in my body. In recent years, I've also I edited a small local magazine and launched a micro FM radio station. Now, I'm finally combining my love of writing and rock 'n' roll. I can't sing a note, but I know what I like. I'll tell you all about it when you read on. I hope you have as much enjoyment reading these installments as I've had writing them.